BEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEEEP … BEEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEEEEP … BEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEEEP

The ghost alarms went off, automatically closing the ectoinforced walls that were installed around the gym as a security measure… ignoring, as do most Fentonworks inventions, one major design error; ghosts couldn't get in, but humans couldn't get out either…

well, shit! Thought Danny as he scanned for an exit; even the floor was covered… in hindsight, maybe he shouldn't have started fixing flaws in his parents ideas… he just hoped they could take down the ghost he'd been after, or at least hold it off until someone shut down the stupid security…

"Well, would you look who it is: Daniel Fenton. My, it has been a long time, hasn't it?"

Danny spun at the sound of the voice behind him, already in a battle stance as he prepared to face the worst possible ghost to be trapped with: Penelope Spectra.

She laughed "And just what are you planning to do? Fight me? If you win, where will you put me?"

He reached to his back for the Fenton Thermos…. Which was in his locker… Man, he really needed to start listening to Jazz… And he was already starting to beat up on himself; at this rate he wouldn't last- No! Positive thoughts!

"I'm not listening to anything you say!" He proclaimed, turning his back on her.

She only laughed again, flying around so that he was now facing her again, and it felt stupid to even try to turn around again, so he settled for avoiding eye contact.

"But I haven't even said anything yet!" he glanced up at her long enough to see her flash a predatory smile "that was all you!"

He didn't really have an argument for that, so he settled for the good old fashioned, "Still not listening!" figuring it was better than silence… it wasn't…

Geeze her laughter was really beginning to get on his nerves…

"Not even going to uphold a conversation? It might pass the time until someone comes to let us out…"

This time he stayed quiet, deciding to close his eyes, to try to block her out. She continued regardless.

"Oh, come on! It's been so long! Let's catch up… Still getting caught in your parents' inventions I see… It seems you're still the only ghost they've managed to catch. I'm not sure which is sadder: them or you!"

This time it was his turn to laugh. He opened his eyes as he mocked her. "Oh, really, a crack at my parents? Like I haven't heard that one before! What is this, Vlad Masters appreciation day? All you can do is spout off lies!"

Her smile broadened maliciously as he realized she'd goaded him into talking again… Damn, she was good!

"Lies? Really? Haven't you learned anything from your parents' favorite child? You don't hurt people with lies. You tell them the things they're already thinking; truths, and half-truths. You lead them along with thoughts and suggestions; it doesn't really matter where an idea comes from, but one that can be easily disproven is pointless in psychology. For instance, there's this lovely little rumor floating around the ghost zone… but there's no point in using it against you if it is just a rumor…"

Shit; she had his attention again, and he really didn't like where this was heading… But he was curious, and it was possible that help was right outside… So he gave in… just a little…

"What rumor?"

"Oh, you know… just a few musings about who might be in a certain thermos up in Clockwork's lair…"

He tried not to; really tried, but at the mention of… him… he stiffened… only slightly, but it was enough.

"So it is true! My, my, who would have thought? Little Mr. Hero with something like that!"

Suddenly, Danny was mad. How dare she insinuate something like that; it wasn't him! He was already at eye level with her before he even realized he'd moved… and he must have spoken some of his thoughts aloud because Spectra answered:

"Oh, really? And who was it now?" To be honest, she didn't really know much; there had been speculation that the mysterious thermos had something to do with Danny. They knew whatever was in there must be really awful because not only had Clockwork intervened, he'd also agreed to personally keep whatever it was locked up. She'd originally hoped to imply that Danny had failed, and assumed from the trauma radiating off him that something awful had happened to him in the reality Clockwork prevented… but she'd really hit the jackpot on this one.

"It was Vlad! His side took me over! He's the one that destroyed everything!" Danny was obviously panicking, practically begging Spectra to tell him he was right… She didn't comply.

"That what you're telling yourself, kid? Vlad? When has Vlad ever purposefully destroyed something?"

He wracked his brains… there must be something.

"He… he set the Guys In White on my house that one time!"

"Not very well; it's still standing just fine… I also believe you were the one who attacked his house first? According to The Ghost Writer, you blow things up for fun. When have you actually ever made something? Even Vlad made your precious Danielle… Let's face it; you just have to look at your powers to see that's what's inside of you! What's your strongest one, again? I believe you call it your 'wail'?"

She was on a roll now; she had Danny's attention and didn't really need his input any more. It was obvious she was winning; he was backing away, still floating he was losing altitude, though his knees were coming up, threatening to curl into a ball.

"I… I p-protect the town! I help people!"

"Just how much damage have you caused, again? How many ghosts come here just to pick a fight with you? Let's face it; I'm not the liar, you are! You're in denial of your very existence: you lie to the people you 'protect' about being a ghost, and your family about being a human! Why don't you just accept who you are? Come on! Scream! I know you want to! You can't escape who you are, Daniel! I know how you hate being trapped! Can't you feel the walls closing in! There's no rocket ship to fly you away from here, Danny! Come on, scream! Prove me right! You know you want to, just let it all out!"

It took three hours for the school to figure out how to lower the ghost shield around the gymnasium; the control panel had been smashed somewhere along the way. When it finally was opened, the black blur of an impatient ghost, desperate for release, was easily sucked into a Fenton thermos. Not much longer, the door gave way to a young man with jet black hair and baggy clothing, who was surprisingly calm for having spent three hours alone with a psychotic manifestation of ectoplasm.

People fussed around and over him, and it wasn't until they had made absolutely sure that he was unharmed that they went to survey the damage done to the gymnasium. Instead of the destruction they'd come to expect from ghosts, however, everything appeared to be intact; there were no broken bleachers, no shards of glass, not even a scratch … the truly astonishing thing, however, was the floor. The entire gym was taken up in a tiny replica of Amity Park, completely made out of sparkling ice. Each building was precisely to size, and there were even a few miniature people; a large man stood with his arm around a tiny woman, goggles over their faces, a group of three kids stood outside of what was recognizably the Nasty Burger… there were even a few football players near the highschool.

The surveyers turned to ask the kid what exactly had happened, but he had vanished into thin air… the next morning… so had the ice.

Author's note: I decided to make Danny claustrophobic because I figured if he wasn't he probably would be after dying in the cramped ghost portal. Not to mention all the trauma of being shoved in lockers… and for someone who is used to being able to phase through everything it must be tough when you realize you can't. But yeah, everything Spectra said I pretty much extrapolated from the show, see if you can find it